22 Arab Countries: Facts, Flags and More
There are Arab countries which everyone knows. Egypt is world famous for its pyramids. Jordan is well-known for ancient Petra. But what about the other Arab countries? There are 22 Arab countries in total, also known as the Arab League or the Arab world.
Arab countries spread over an area of over 13,000,000 km² (5,000,000 sq mi) which is almost 1.5 times the size of the US. The Arab world spreads over 2 continents and consists of several languages.
In this article, I’ll give you an introduction to the Arab countries, from their location on the map, their flag, capital and languages.
Contents
List of Arab Countries
There are 22 Arab countries which are Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
You’ll find a map of the countries and their flags below this table.
By the way, there are over 25 different Arabic dialects in the Arab countries. If you’re interested in learning Arabic, check out my article on Arabic dialects where I’ve explained the differences and similarities between the most popular dialects.
Map of Arab Countries
All Flags of Arab Countries
Interesting Facts about Arab Countries
There are a lot of questions about Arab countries! I’ve compiled the answers to the most frequently asked questions.
How many Arab countries?
As of 2022, there are 22 Arab countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
What countries are in the Middle East?
The Middle East consists of a number of Arab and non-Arab countries in Asia and Africa. Middle Eastern countries are Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Cyprus, an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, is geographically also considered part of the Middle East.
What are the richest Arab countries?
When it comes to the richest Arab countries, it’s important to make a distinction between a country’s total GDP and the GDP per capita. In terms of GDP, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are on top of the list. Egypt is the largest Arab country by population.
However, when looking at the GDP per capita, the situation is very different. The richest Arab countries by GDP (as per 2022) are Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Gulf countries like Qatar have one of the world’s highest reserves in oil and gas which makes these countries so rich. The size and population of Qatar is only a fraction of Egypt.
Countries such as Jordan don’t have any natural oil reserves which makes them less wealthy than other Arab countries.
Which are the best Arab countries to visit?
Many Arab countries have an impressive history. In fact, the Middle East is known to be one of the oldest settlements on earth. Due to the large size, the history and cultural heritage of Arab countries is very different. As such, you’ll get to see completely unique things in each country.
The most interesting (and safest!) Arab countries to visit are:
1. Jordan (world famous Petra, Dead Sea, biblical heritage…)
2. Egypt (Pyramids of Giza, Luxor…)
3. UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi…)
4. Morocco (Marrakesh, Fes…)
What’s the population of Arab countries?
The total population of all 22 Arab countries is 423 million (as of 2022). Egypt is the most populated Arab country with a population of 104 million.
Are all Arab countries Muslim?
First of all, it’s important to say that Arab and Muslim aren’t the same. Arab is an ethnic group while Muslim is a religion. Not all Muslims are Arabs (you’ll find plenty of Muslims in India and South East Asia, for instance).
In Arab countries, Islam (the religion of the Muslims) is the predominant religion. It’s estimated that about 93% of all Arabs are Islam. Christianity is the largest minority in Arab countries.
Which Arab Countries speak French?
French isn’t an official language in any Arab country (except for Djibouti). However, due to the history of the French empire, French is still widely spoken in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Furthermore, it’s widely spoken in Lebanon (about half of the population speaks French as a second or third language).
What Arab Countries are in Asia?
12 of the 22 Arab countries are in Asia. These are: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
What Arab Countries are in Africa?
Arab countries in Africa are: Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia.
